


An Experiment Gone Wrong

by LittleRedWriter



Category: Fantastic Four, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, F/M, Marvel Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-15 03:04:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedWriter/pseuds/LittleRedWriter
Summary: She was only brought into this world to be the subject of an experiment that ended up going terribly wrong. Thankfully, Tony Stark found her as an infant and raised her as his own. It wasn't until she was nineteen years old that she discovered who she really was.





	1. Chapter 1

“Congratulations, it’s a baby girl!” the doctor announced as he delivered the baby. Neither the mother or the father reacted to the news. The doctor glanced over at one of the nurses, who shrugged. The delivery room was silent as the doctor and nurses continued to take care of the mother and the baby. 

“Would you like to hold her?” a nurse offered, holding the pink bundle in her arms.

“No, I’d like to rest,” the mother’s voice was harsh.

“Do you guys have a name for her?” another nurse asked, ready to fill out the birth certificate.

“You,” the father pointed at the nurse holding the baby, “you name her,” he told her and the nurses looked at each other. 

“Anything else?” the man asked, annoyed and they shook their heads, hurrying out of the room.

“What the hell was that, Kelly?” the nurse with the certificate asked the other one.

“I have no idea, are they keeping her?” Kelly asked. 

“Yeah, everything we have says they are,” the nurse shook her head. “Well, let me know when you pick a name.”

Kelly looked down at the baby in her arms, unsure of what to do. Sighing, she returned to the nursery and rocked the sleeping baby. 

“You are beautiful,” she told the sleeping infant. “I pray that they are just tired and that you live a good life…”

“Do you have a name yet?” the other nurse returned after an hour and she nodded.

“Lila Rose.”

 

Only two weeks had past and the ungrateful parents were in the lab in the basement of their home, their baby lying on an operating table. Lila looked small from all of the monitors and chords that covered her. 

“Are you ready?” the man asked his wife as he finished setting up the last machine. 

“I’ve been ready for the last nine months,” the wife said. “Are we recording?” The husband checked both the video camera and the audio recorder in his hand before nodding.

“Experiment 12 is ready to go underway,” he said into the audio recorder. “After being previously tested on rats and goats, batch Q of the super serum recreation is finally ready to be tested on a human subject. The subject has been injected with the serum,” he narrated as the wife injected Lila with the serum. “The incubator is now closing around her,” he said as the infant screamed out in both fear in pain. “Gamma radiation will begin in 3, 2, 1…” he counted down and the screams became louder as the radiation coursed through the incubator. Smoke began to billow out of the incubator the higher the radiation went.

“Ninety percent,” the wife yelled. The machine was beginning to spark, electricity surged around them and the temperature of the lab began to rise drastically. Their hair stood on edge from the electricity that surged through the room. The instant the machine reached maximum power, the incubator exploded like a bomb.

 

“Alright, Stark, you’re cut off,” the bartender told him.

“No, man! I’m not even tipsy,” the young man slurred.

“Call yourself a cab, go home before you get yourself in trouble,” he warned.

“I will pay for all of the troubles to go away,” Tony assured him and the bartender let out an impatient sigh.

“Go, now. I’m calling you a cab,” the bartender told him and Tony sighed, peeling himself off of the barstool before heading outside. The cold air hit his hot face and he let out a sigh. He looked around, not used to being this far outside of a city, but he had to get away from everything.

“Where is this cab,” the entitled brat groaned. He was just about to head inside when he saw lightning strike a nearby house. Instead of calling for help, he did the only logical thing his intoxicated brain could think of: he ran towards the house. 

Smoke was rolling out of small windows towards the foundation of the home -- the basement, he thought. He knocked on the door and when no one answered, he forced it open. When he opened the basement door, he was hit with a cloud of smoke. Coughing, he stormed down the stairs, pulling his shirt over his nose to protect himself from the smoke.

“Holy shit,” he whispered as he looked around. Everything was burnt, including two bodies on the floor, their bodies scorched. He was just about to leave to call for help when he heard a small cry.

“Hello?” he called out and the crying got louder. He moved towards it and to his surprise, he found a baby laying in the middle of an operating table -- the only thing not scorched. 

“Holy shit,” he repeated, knowing that something wasn’t right. He scooped the baby into his arms and rushed out of the house, getting it away from the smoke. Once outside, he looked down at the baby in the moonlight. Its cheeks were chubby, its eyes big and bright, surrounded by thick lashes.

“Hi there,” he whispered to the baby, quickly sobering up. He checked the diaper, discovering the baby was a girl. “Hi sweetheart, what happened back there?” he asked her and she cooed in his arms. Not knowing who else to call, he pulled out his phone and dialed the only person he could think of that would know what to do. 

He spent the next hour holding the baby girl, admiring her as she held desperately on to his finger.

“Stark, you better not be wasting my time,” the stern voice said and Tony stood up from the grass, holding the baby in his arms. 

“Fury,” he said. “I think this is a SHIELD matter.”

“Motherfucker,” Fury breathed out, looking at the baby in Tony’s arms. “Tell me everything.” 

Tony recounted everything he saw, including the bodies in the basement.

“From what I could tell, it was a lab -- they were doing something to her,” Tony looked down at the baby. “She was on the operating table, unscathed.”

“We’ll have to take her ba-” Fury reached out for the baby and Tony turned away from him, protecting the infant.

“No,” he told her. “She’ll be staying with me.”

“Stark, you’re young and this might be an asset. How do you plan to care for her?”

“I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I have to,” he looked down at the baby girl. “I have to.”

“That’s nice, but you can’t take care of a baby that had who knows what done to it,” Fury insisted.

“Watch me,” Tony told him. “I will raise her as my own or Stark Industries will end its contract with SHIELD, we will no longer make weapons for you.” Fury sighed, unhappy with this ultimatum. 

“The second you mess up, she’ll be coming with me,” Fury said through gritted teeth. “Don’t tell anyone about where or how you found her and I’ll do the same. If I find anything about what happened to her, I’ll let you know,” he said and headed towards the house. 

Tony left the scene quickly before Fury changed his mind. He held the sleeping baby close to him as he made his way back to the bar. Once there, he called a cab and took the baby back to his penthouse.

It wasn’t until he was in his apartment that he realized _he had a baby._ He looked down at the baby in his arms, unsure of what to do now. 

“You are just a newborn,” he whispered as he looked her over. “Why would someone try to hurt you, sweet girl?” He looked around his apartment, realizing that he had nothing in his apartment for a baby. He grabbed his phone from the stand beside him, dialing a familiar number.

“Tony?” the voice was half asleep.

“Hey Hap, I’m sorry to wake you, but it’s kind of an emergency and I didn’t know who else to call…” he said to his longtime best friend. 

A little over an hour later, Happy was letting himself into Tony’s apartment. 

“You weren’t kidding,” Happy said when he saw Tony on his couch, a baby sleeping on his chest. 

“No, I’m a father,” Tony told him and Happy shook his head in disbelief.

“How do you just _have_ a baby?” Happy asked him. “Where’s the mother?”

“I don’t know,” Tony sighed. “There was a knock on my door and when I went to answer, there was a baby on my door mat with a note. I don’t even know who the mother is.”

“Wow,” Happy breathed out, setting down the grocery bags he carried in. “Well, I picked up everything you asked for: diapers, wipes, powder, formula, bottles, onesies, swaddles and blankets… It should be enough to get you through a couple days.”

“Thank you again, I really do appreciate it, Hap.”

“I’ll stay with you, no reason for you to be alone your first night as a dad,” Happy smiled as he joined Tony on the couch. “Boy or girl?” he looked at the sleeping infant.

“Girl,” Tony smiled at her.

“Does she have a name?”

“Not yet,” he said softly. The two of them sat there in silence, watching her sleep on Tony’s chest until both of them fell asleep as well.

The next morning, Tony woke up from the sun streaming through the window and just as he woke up, the baby began to stir as well, upset to be woken up from the sun.

“Happy,” Tony called out, concerned as the baby started to cry.

“Huh?” he was startled awake.

“Does she feel warm to you?” Tony asked him and Happy reached over and touched the baby.

“That’s definitely a fever… is she turning red?” Happy asked.

“Her temperature feels like it’s increasing,” Tony panicked.

“I swear she’s glowing,” Happy told him and Tony’s eyes doubled in size.

“Her skin is actually burning me,” Tony hopped up from the couch and ran to the bathroom, setting her down gently in the bathtub. Just as he did, the infant started screaming and caught on fire.

“HAPPY,” Tony yelled and Happy ran into the bathroom.

“That’s not normal,” he whispered. “Tony, what the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know,” he said under his breath. “But you can’t tell anyone, Happy. You can’t mention this to anyone because there are people that will take her because of this.”

“Okay, but what are we going to do about the baby that’s on fire?” Happy tried to stay calm.

“Get a bottle, she’s probably hungry,” he told Happy and he ran to get the bottle while he crouched down beside the tub, trying to calm her. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he tried to assure her as she cried. After a few moments, Happy ran back in with the bottle.

“I also got you an oven mitt,” he handed the bottle and mitt to Tony, who looked confused. “How else are you going to feed a baby that’s on fire?” 

The second the bottle touched the babies lips, she calmed down and the flames disappeared. Both Tony and Happy let out an audible sigh of relief. 

“Tony, are you sure you can handle this?” Happy asked him.

“I have to,” Tony told him. “I’m already in love with her.” 

 

A couple weeks had passed and Tony learned that not only could the baby he took in control fire, but electricity as well -- because **of course** his baby could control two of the most dangerous elements.

Tony was grateful for Happy, he remained by his side through it all and he helped to go and pick up supplies and furniture for Kenna. Tony couldn’t help but to smile when he said her name - Kenna. Kenna meant born of fire and his little girl was a fireball -- quite literally and characteristically. She was pale with fire red hair and dark amber eyes. Even as an infant, she had a sassy, fire personality. Tony could already read her emotions and tell when she was about to explode in a fiery rage or fry the circuits in his apartment. 

He was holding her, feeding her a bottle when there was a knock on their door. He rolled his eyes when he looked through the peephole.

“How can I help you, Fury?” he opened the door and Fury invited himself in. 

“SHIELD has been able to identify the two bodies that were in that lab,” he explained. “We also found a video camera among the wreckage and we were able to recover some footage from it,” he held up a tape. Eager to see what was on it, Tony showed him to the living room and he put the tape in the VCR. 

His heart stopped beating as he watched the footage. He immediately recognized his Kenna, laying on an operating table, covered in wires and monitors. 

He didn’t breathe as he watched the video, as he watched them inject her with a serum, as he watched them use gamma radiation on her tiny body. And just as the gamma radiation reached its maximum power, he watched the incubator Kenna was in explode like a bomb, a flash of electricity flared throughout the lab.

“The two scientists were trying to recreate the same experiment that created Captain America. The baby was their actual baby, she was born two weeks prior at a nearby hospital. The nurse named her Lila Rose, but I assume you’ve already named her and have a birth certificate on file for her. So,” Fury said. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me about the baby?” 

“Nope,” Tony told him, looking down at Kenna, who was fast asleep.

“Tony, if you admit to me that she has powers, I will not take her from you,” he assured him.

“That’s nice, but I don’t really believe you,” Tony said and Fury sighed.

“If you ever need help with her, reach out to me and I’ll help anyway I can -- as a friend, not Director of SHIELD. As far as SHIELD is concerned, she doesn’t exist… and that’s the only copy of that video,” he said before showing himself out, leaving the video in the VCR.

“How could someone have done that to you?” he whispered to the sleeping baby, settling into the couch with her more. His heart broke at the fact that someone would do this to their own child, especially to Kenna, who was the most innocent, perfect baby -- even with all of her quirks.


	2. Chapter 2

Kenna sighed, drawing aimlessly in her notebook as she waited for her dad to get home from his business trip. She checked the clock for the millionth time, she still had an hour or so before he would be back.

She was nineteen now, living in a post Loki and chitauri world. Her dad was not only Tony Stark, but Iron Man as well. She was both proud of him and terrified that something terrible would happen to him -- things always seemed to. First he was kidnapped and he returned with a chest full of shrapnel, then he was almost trapped in space so he could save millions. He was courageous and brave, he was always willing to sacrifice himself in order to save others and that scared her.

She wasn’t an Avenger herself, just Tony Stark’s daughter. Rather than be a brilliant engineer like her father, she was the complete opposite. She was creative and artistic, enjoyed spending her time being covered in paint and charcoal. She even used her powers to create art, burning designs into not only canvas, but also natural materials like metals, stone, wood. Her art sold for hundreds of thousands.

“Hey JARVIS,” she called out to the AI. 

“Yes, Kenna?” 

“Do we still have my old Disney tapes for VCR? I wanted to watch Mulan.”

“Yes, Kenna, they are in storage on level B,” the computer informed her. “But we have them digitized.” 

“I know, but the tapes are just better,” she said as she headed to the elevator, pressing the button to one of the many basement floors. When she reached level B, she looked around, unsure of where the tapes would be. She walked through all of the various shelves and boxes for a few moments before finding a large box with VCR’s written across it.

“Jackpot,” she whispered as she began to rummage through the box. She found Mulan on top but paused when she saw the tape underneath it, not in a case. All it had on it was a sticker with her birthday on it. Curious, she took it with her back to the main floor. 

“I really hope this isn’t my mom giving birth,” Kenna mumbled as she dusted off their old VCR player. She plopped down on the couch, pressing play on the VCR.

It took her a moment before she realized the baby on the table was her, but that was undeniably her red hair. The air was knocked out of her as she watched what these people did to her… and what she did to them.

 

“Happy, is it supposed to storm?” Tony asked as they pulled up to the Avenger Tower.

“No, Tony,” Happy looked just as concerned as Tony.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” he whispered as he looked out the window, large bolts of lightning flashed and thunder clapped around them. “Shit,” Tony cursed, jumping out of the vehicle and running into the tower. 

It had been years since Kenna had an episode like this. It took years of training, but she generally had complete control of her powers. As a younger teen, her emotions controlled her powers more than she did, but as she got older she was able to control them more.

“Kenna?” Tony called out as he got off the elevator, searching desperately for her. When he found her, she was curled up on the couch, sobbing. 

“Kenna,” he whispered, running over to her. “What’s wrong? What happened? Who do I have to kill?” he tried to make her laugh with that last question.

“You’re not really my dad, are you?” she cried and his heart stopped beating, his stomach dropped to his feet.

“What?” his voice broke and she pointed to the TV behind him and when he turned around, he saw the video Fury gave him years ago paused on the TV.

_Why didn’t I destroy that_ , he thought to himself as he pulled her into his arms.

“No,” she pushed him away, getting up from the couch. “You have been lying to me for nineteen years.”

“I was trying to protect you,” he insisted.

“Who are these people?” she yelled, pointing to the TV.

“Your biological parents,” he sighed. “They were trying to recreate the same experiment that created Steve…” 

“Well something obviously went wrong,” she said, holding her flaming hands up. “How did you even end up with me?”

“I was coming out of a bar and saw lightning strike their house and I knew I had to help and when I got there, I found you,” he explained quickly. 

“You should have told me,” she cried. He didn’t realize until now that she was moving towards the balcony and that there was a bag packed by the door.

“Kenna,” he said softly, wanting to calm her down.

“You’ve lied to me my entire life,” she shook her head, pushing the balcony door open. “You told me my mom didn’t tell you she was pregnant and ended up leaving me on your doorstep -- I grew up hating a person that didn’t even exist,” she grabbed her bag.

“Kenna, please, let’s just talk,” he slowly moved towards her and she hovered in the air, her body engulfed in flames.

“You had nineteen years to talk,” she said before flying off the balcony.

“Shit,” he cursed and he pressed the button on his wristbands, calling his suit to him. But by the time he was suited up and in the sky, Kenna was gone. 

 

“It looks like we do have the rooftop penthouse available, Miss Stark,” the concierge said. 

“Perfect,” she handed him her MasterCard and a bellboy came to grab her bag from her. “I got it, thank you,” she said as she grabbed her card and room key before heading over to the elevator. 

She couldn’t believe that all this time, her dad had been lying to her -- that he wasn’t even biologically her dad. 

When she got to her room she sighed, dropping her bag to the ground. She looked around the room briefly before going over to the terrace door and stepping outside. Lightning flashed around her, followed by claps of thunder. 

She didn’t even care that Tony wasn’t biologically her father, she was hurt that he spent her entire life lying to her. 

She couldn’t help but to think about her biological parents, the people that did this to her.

_I’ve been ready for the last nine months_ rang through her head, leading her to believe that those people only had her so that they could experiment on her. They didn’t have her because they wanted to start a family, she didn’t come into this world out of love. Her sole purpose for being in this world was so that she could be experimented on, so that she could be a test subject. They looked at her the same way they looked at a rat: something they could use only to further their research. She was just the test subject of an experiment gone wrong. 

She didn’t know how long she stayed out there crying. She probably would have stayed there all night -- except she heard something heavy land on the terrace.

“What do you want dad,” she cried, not looking up.

“‘Tis not the man of iron,” the voice said and her attention snapped in the direction of the voice.

“Thor,” she breathed out, happy to see the Asgardian.

“Kenna,” he kneeled down in front of her, taking her hands in his. “I came to visit you in your tower and the man of iron said you took off. He then received notification that you were at this tower and insisted I come make sure you were okay.” She mentally slapped herself.

_Of course he would check her credit cards._

“He sent you?”

“Well, I did come to Midgard to visit you,” he told her and her stomach filled with butterflies. “What has upset you?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” she breathed out, her voice shaky. No one knew what she was capable of doing, Tony didn’t want SHIELD to try to take advantage of her and he wanted her to wait until she was old enough to decide if she wanted to join SHIELD, so they hid her powers from everyone.

“You can tell me anything, Kenna,” he insisted and she sighed. 

“I think showing you would be easier than telling you,” she said as she stood up from the couch. 

Kenna took a deep breath before her entire body caught on fire. Lightning flashed around her, sparks of electricity fell from her hands. 

The Asgardian stood in front of her, speechless. 

“I’m guessing you’re wondering the how,” she said and he nodded, still lost for words. “That I just found out today,” she sighed before sitting down on the terrace furniture. He joined her, setting his hammer down at his feet.

“Apparently, Tony isn’t my real dad,” her voice cracked and tears began to well in her eyes.

“You are adopted? Like Loki?” Thor asked.

“Kind of,” she wiped away a tear that escaped. “My biological parents only had me because they were scientists and they were trying to recreate the serum that created Steve. I was only born to be a test subject,” she cried and Thor wrapped his arms around her. “They didn’t actually want me,” she sobbed into his chest. 

“They were foolish,” he said softly. “But the man of iron does love you and wishes you would come home.”

“I know,” she sighed, pulling away from him. “I just needed to get away and process everything.”

“Will you come home now?”

“Not yet,” she shook her head. “I’m going to stay here for the night.”

“May I stay?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she smiled. “Do you have any civilian clothes?” She asked and he nodded. It was then that she realized he had some type of Asgardian looking satchel wrapped around him.

“I think I shall change,” he said before disappearing into the penthouse. When he returned, he was dressed in jeans, a thin black hoodie that was so perfectly tight, and his hair pulled messily back in a bun. Kenna couldn’t decide what she found more attractive: his Asgardian attire or his civilian clothes. 

Thor was silent for a moment, his gaze frozen on her.

“May I ask you something?” he finally said.

“You know you can ask me anything, Thor.”

“Why have you never told me about your powers? Or the other Avengers?”

“Dad was afraid that if SHIELD found out, they’d take advantage of me,” she explained.

“But why not tell me? You are my good friend, I would not have told anyone.”

“I wanted to,” she sighed. “But I didn’t know how you’d react and I didn’t want you to think of me differently. I was afraid.”

“Kenna,” he chuckled. “Your powers are nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, I am the god of thunder, I would have been very impressed that a midgardian can also control thunder and lightning.”

“Technically, I can’t control the thunder, just the lightning.” she told him and he looked at her confused. “Thunder is just the sound of lightning, it happens due to the expansion of rapidly heated air.”

“Then do I control the thunder?” Thor asked confused.

“Probably not directly,” she told him.

“I should be called the god of lightning…” he muttered amd she couldn’t help but to laugh.

“Do you think you’ll tell the others?” he asked her and she sighed.

“I have always wanted to tell Bruce, especially because the exact same thing happened to him and I have difficulty controlling my powers when I’m emotional. But, I’m terrified for Steve to find out because I know that he would feel guilty since these people were trying to recreate his experiment.”

“‘Tis not his fault though,” Thor said.

“I know. Steve wasn’t even the one to create the experiment, he was just the test subject. But so many people have wanted more versions of him or to have powers themselves, it’s the Captain America effect. But he deserves to know -- he’s one of my best friends. Which makes me scared to tell him even more because now I know what it’s like to be lied to for years.”

“I do not think you have been lying to us, you have just been nervous to share your abilities with us. You just wanted to protect yourself.”

“I hope everyone else sees it like that,” she said softly.


	3. Chapter 3

“I would not consider this ‘meat lovers,’” Thor said, biting into a piece of his pizza. “These are such tiny pieces of sausage.”

“In my opinion, Midgardians value carbs over meat,” Kenna laughed. 

“Midgardians are funny,” he shook his head. Kenna continued to scroll through the movies on Netflix, searching for something for them to watch. Then she came across Mulan and she sighed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“When I found the tape of what my biological parents did to me, I was actually looking for Mulan.”

“What is Mulan?” his brows furrowed together.

“My favorite Disney movie.”

“Why haven’t we watched it?”

“That’s a good question, I don’t know… Let’s change that,” she said before starting the movie. She settled onto the chaise of the couch more, her small pineapple pizza box in her lap, and Thor had his large box in his. They both devoured their pizzas and made themselves comfortable on the couch. As they watched the movie, she was very aware of him leaning against her. 

“I liked her!” Thor exclaimed when the credits began to roll. 

“Isn’t she the best?” Kenna laughed.

“I see why this is your favorite.”

“Now, it’s not great as the first one, but there is a second Mulan movie,” she told him and his eyes lit up. 

“We must watch it,” he nodded, excited.

“Good thing it’s on Netflix,” she laughed and searched for the second movie. 

“I like Netflix,” he chuckled. “I wish this couch was bigger,” he lifted his legs up before dropping them back down. 

“Here,” Kenna laughed, scooting over on the chaise more before patting next to her. He smiled as he moved over, stretching his legs out on the chaise beside of hers.

“Thank you,” he said softly as he settled in beside her. The entire side of his body was pressed against hers. 

_Now he was really close._

Kenna told herself to relax -- it was just Thor, one of her best friends. Her best friend that she has had the biggest crush on since she saw him on the helicarrier when the Avenger’s first assembled.

She shook the thought away, telling herself that a **literal** god would never be with her, that it wasn’t in her cards. 

But then his arm moved to the back of the low couch, basically wrapping his arm around her shoulders. 

_Was he? No…_

She glanced over at him quickly and he noticed, looking over and smiling at her. Her attention immediately went back to the movie, the speed of her heart increased.

_Stop psyching yourself up_ , she told herself. _This is all in your head._

Thor laughed at the movie and his hand moved, now resting on her shoulder. 

_Is this just in my head?_

She didn’t even watch the movie, too wrapped up in her own thoughts. She didn’t even understand why this felt so different to her, they’d hung out like this before and have been even closer than this. They’ve spent countless hours cozied up on the couch together watching movies and sharing stories about Asgard and Midgard. They’ve shared a bed before and have woken up to find Thor holding Kenna, it was never a big deal before.

_But this felt different._

She was so distracted that she didn’t even realize it had ended.

“You were right, the second one was not as good as the first but it was still humorous,” he critiqued the movie -- arm still around her, his face close to hers. 

“What do you want to do now?” she asked and he looked around the penthouse.

“Do you think they have any ice cream?” he asked her, making her laugh.

“I don’t know but I do know that there is a nearby ice cream shop that closes in…” she glanced at the clock on the wall, “an hour.”

“Shall we go?”

“We shall,” she laughed, peeling herself from the couch. He grabbed his leather jacket and she grabbed her purse before the two of them descended to the ground floor in the elevator. 

“It’s just this way,” she told him as she guided him through Manhattan. It was chillier than she expected it would be now that the sun went down. 

“You’re glowing,” Thor chuckled. He realized she was trying to warm herself, he removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she said softly as they continued to walk through the city. 

“I like Manhattan at night, the city is more beautiful and there aren’t as many people taking our pictures,” he told her.

“The media loves to take your picture,” she laughed and noticed some kids pointing their cell phones at them. “And people in general,” she sighed. 

“I think those boys are taking your photo,” he chuckled. 

“I highly doubt it,” she laughed. 

 

“Why wouldn’t they be? You’re beautiful,” his voice was soft as he looked down at her and she blushed a deep shade of pink. 

“We’re here,” she said softly, stopping in front of the small ice cream shop. His face lit up and he opened the door for her.

“What flavor do you get?” he asked her, reading through the long list of flavors.

“Either chocolate and peanut butter or peanut butter cookie, which is peanut butter flavored ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough,” she told him. “Or coffee chip!”

“You like peanut butter,” he chuckled and she nodded. “I think I shall get the triple chocolate, in a cup.”

“Another good flavor,” she told him before ordering his triple chocolate and her coffee chip. 

“You always order me much bigger foods,” he chuckled as he took his ice cream from her.

“You are much bigger than me and have a bigger appetite,” she looked up at him. “I mean, I can order you smaller sizes if you’d like…”

“No, no, I like what you order me,” he smiled and they sat down at a small table near the window of the shop.

“How long do you plan on staying on Midgard?” she asked him.

“I’m not sure,” he told her. “For awhile, I am not currently needed in Asgard.”

“Will you be staying here or in New Mexico?” she looked down at her ice cream, playing with it anxiously.

“Here… There is no longer any reason for me to visit New Mexico,” he said and her attention snapped from her ice cream to him. “Jane and I ended our relationship a while ago.”

“You never said anything…” 

“It was not something that I thought was important, it was what was best for both Jane and I. Plus, it was what I wanted.”

“Are you happy?” she asked him.

“I am,” he smiled. 

“Good,” she said before taking another bite of her ice cream. 

“We should come here more,” he said as he took a bite. 

“Well if you’re really going to be here for awhile, we definitely can.” 

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked her and she laughed.

“Well, I plan on going back to the Tower and talking to dad. Did you want to come back tomorrow?”

 

“No,” he chuckled. “I was wondering if you’d like to go to see the animals in the cages with me? After you and Tony talk?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” she said softly and he smiled triumphantly..

_Was this a date?_

“I think seeing the elephants would cheer you up.” He knew how much she loved elephants.

“I think this place is closing,” she said as a worker began to stack the chairs on the table. 

“Let us go back to the hotel,” he stood up and she put her arms into his jacket instead of wearing it on just her shoulders. 

“So,” Thor started as they walked the streets of Manhattan. “How is it that your clothes did not burn off when you caught aflame?” She couldn’t help but to laugh at the question. 

“Dad created a fabric that was fireproof,” she explained. “We work with a few designers that use the fabric to make my clothes.”

“Ah. Do you think you will join the Avengers? I believe you would be a great addition to the team.”

“That’s actually something I’ve been thinking about for the last year,” she told him. “At first, I didn’t think that I wanted to. But then I thought, wouldn’t it be selfish for me to standby and not use my powers? When the attack on New York happened… Dad sent me off and refused to allow me to help and I felt so guilty… I think that I might finally be ready to suit up -- or at least start the training to suit up.” 

“I think you are making the right choice,” he glanced over at her, smiling. “If you would like, I can train you to use your lightning.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “It’s more than just lightning though, I can control all electricity.” She stopped on the sidewalk and he looked at her confused but followed her gaze to a street lamp. He watched the light of the lamp go out for a moment but then come back on again. “If I wanted to, I could cause a blackout for all of Manhattan.”

“You have great power, Kenna,” he was amazed by her abilities. “I think the other Avengers will be proud of you.”

“Thank you, Thor,” they continued their walk until finally reached the hotel. 

“I’m exhausted,” Kenna yawned when they got back to her room.

“You have had a long day,” Thor told her and she nodded. 

“A weird day,” she mumbled under her breath and Thor chuckled. She grabbed her bag before retreating to the bathroom in the bedroom to wash her face and get ready for bed. 

“Fuck,” she whispered when she realized what she packed for pajamas -- just an oversized t-shirt. Sighing, she put the t-shirt on and left her jeans on. 

“Is that my shirt?” Thor was seated on the bed when she came out of the bathroom. 

“Yeah,” she blushed. “You left it so I took it.” 

“It looks good on you,” he told her and she blushed an even darker shade. “But why are you still in jeans?”

“Well, honestly, I didn’t actually bring pajama pants because I don’t sleep in pants,” she said quickly and he chuckled.

“I would offer you mine, but I only have one pair… I left the rest of my belongings at the Tower,” he told her. 

_He must be staying for **awhile.**_

“It’s as long as a dress and you don’t wear jeans with dresses, you should be comfortable,” he told her and she nodded, going back into the bathroom and slipping off her jeans.

_It’s like a dress,_ she told herself as she went back out to the living room. 

“Better?” he asked her and she nodded, getting into the bed. He slipped into the bathroom himself and came out wearing just flannel pajama pants. He never slept in a shirt and it was sinful, he was so perfectly sculpted and muscular. He was very much a god. 

Thor crawled in bed together, something they’d done dozens of times before. 

“How are you doing?” he rolled over on his side towards her, a sincere look on his face and she Turned towards him.

“I don’t even know,” she breathed out. “There’s so much that I found out today, it’s still processing.”

“What part is the hardest for you?” 

“The reason for me even being born,” her voice cracked. “It’s just insane to think that two people brought a child into this world not out of a place of love, not because they wanted to be parents… but because they needed a test subject for their experiment and were too afraid to test it on themselves. It’s heartbreaking to think that I wasn’t actually wanted,” tears rolled down her cheeks and he gently wiped them away.

“You are wanted, Kenna,” he whispered. “You are so loved.” It was then that she realized how close he actually was to her, his hand still cupped her face. “The reason you came into this world does not define you, it doesn’t change who you are. What you learned today does not have to change any part of your life.”

“You’re right,” she whispered. “It still just sucks,” she tried to laugh and he pulled her into a hug.

“I know,” he whispered. “You should try to get some rest.” His arms left her and she turned away from him, hoping for sleep to come soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Thor was startled awake in the middle of the night. Sweat was pouring off him, heat radiated around him. Thor immediately noticed that the room was lit up red and he could hear Kenna crying in her sleep.

“Kenna,” he tried to shake her awake but her skin burnt his hand. “Kenna,” he said louder. He cursed when he wasn’t able to wake her. The temperature of the room was increasing, Kenna tossed in her sleep. 

Thor jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. He looked around for some type of container and grabbed the bowl full of rolled up towels. After throwing the towels out, he began filling the bowl with water. Once filled, he rushed back to the bedroom to find Kenna glowing a much brighter red than before. Without hesitation, he threw the water on her and she sat up, gasping.

“What the hell?” she exclaimed, wiping the water from her eyes.

“Your temperature was rising and you were glowing red, I believe you were having a nightmare,” Thor told her and she sighed. “I did not know what else to do, you would not wake up.” 

“Great,” she mumbled. 

“What were you dreaming about?”

“Those people -- my biological parents -- didn’t die during that experiment and continued to use me as a test subject and were abusive and violent…” she let out a shaky breath.

“That will never happen,” he told her. 

“I know, they are very much dead.”

“Even if they weren’t, I would protect you.”

“Thank you, Thor,” she laughed softly. “I can’t believe I almost caught on fire in my sleep, I haven’t done that in years.”

“Your emotions seem to affect your powers,” Thor stated.

“That’s an understatement,” she groaned. “That would be why my entire bedroom is fireproof and so is a lot of the furniture within the Tower.”

“I doubt this room is fireproof,” he looked around the bedroom.

“I doubt it too,” she chuckled. “I probably shouldn’t go back to sleep…”

“Should we go back to the tower now?” he asked her.

“It’s four in the morning.”

“I don’t think that matters,” he chuckled. “You should be able to sleep without concern.” 

“I’ll go down and check out,” she sighed and peeled herself from the bed, grabbing her jeans, shirt and wallet on the way out of the bedroom. While she checked out, Thor got dressed in the bedroom, assuming she was changing in the living area of the suite. When he heard the hotel door close, he began to gather their things.

“Why are you in your full suit of armor?” she laughed when she got back to the room. 

“There are too many pieces to carry it, ‘tis easier this way,” he explained and she shook her head, smiling. 

“I figured we could just fly over to the tower,” Kenna said as she grabbed her bag. He nodded and they walked out to the tower. Before she could catch aflame, Thor wrapped one of his arms around her.

“I can fly,” she chuckled and he looked at her, surprised, before letting go of her. 

“Lead the way,” he told her and watched as her entire body caught aflame. He tightened his grip on his hammer before following her through the night sky. 

He watched her land on the platform of the tower with ease, her flames disappearing. 

“Welcome home, Kenna,” JARVIS’s voice said. 

“Thank you,” she said softly. Thor followed her into the tower and she took a deep breath when they were inside. 

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah,” she breathed out.

“Try to get some sleep,” he told her before heading towards his room. She took another deep breath before walking to her own room. 

“Oh!” she jumped when she turned on her bedroom light, she wasn’t expecting anyone to have been in her bed.

“Kenna?” her dad woke up, squinting from the light.

“What are you doing in here?” she laughed softly, sitting down on her bed with him. 

“I couldn’t sleep, I missed you,” he yawned. “Kenna, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I really should have told you, but I thought that I was protecting you.”

“You were… I don’t know who I would be if I grew up knowing that I was only born to be nothing more than a lab rat,” her voice cracked.

“That’s not why you were born.”

“Yes it was, that’s the only reason those people had me..”

“But I don’t think that’s why you were brought into this world. I know that you were brought into this world so that I would find you. I know you were meant to be my daughter, you were born to make me a father. Without you, I don’t know who I would be.” 

“Dad…” her voice cracked and she wrapped her arms around him. “We’re going to get through this.”

“I know, Ken… It just --”

“Sucks,” she finished for him, making him laugh. 

“What time is it?” he looked around the room for a clock.

“It was around four when we left the hotel.”

“Why were you both up at four in the morning?” he arched his brow and she rolled her eyes.

“I was having a nightmare and Thor threw a bowl of water on me to wake me. After that, I was afraid to fall asleep.”

“That hasn’t happened in awhile,” he sighed and she shrugged, not telling him what the dream was about.

“Thor thought it’d be best for me to go back to sleep in my own bed, just in case it were to happen again.”

“And Romeo didn’t try to stay with you?”

“It’s not like that, Dad.”

“Oh come on, Kenny,” he laughed. 

“He doesn’t like me like that,” she insisted. 

“If you insist… But he did leave Asgard to come and stay with you.” 

“He’s my best friend,” she rolled her eyes again before disappearing into her closet to change.

“Your best friend that you have a crush on,” he shook his head. “And who’s t-shirt you like to wear,” he arched his brow when she emerged. 

“It’s comfy,” she shrugged as she got into bed next to him. “He asked if we could go to the zoo today.”

“If you two could go or if you’d go with him?” 

“If I’d like to go with him,” her voice was quiet.

“Mhmm,” he nodded as they got comfy. 

“Good night, Dad,” her voice sounded annoyed and he couldn’t help but to chuckle. 

 

She woke up a few hours later and found herself alone in her bed. After a few moments, she forced herself to get out of her bed and into the shower. She spent the entire shower telling herself that her and Thor were just going to the zoo as friends, nothing more. But then she got out of the shower and checked her phone to discover a text from Thor.

**I had to leave the Tower momentarily. I’ll be back to pick you up at 12 :) :)**

_Where on earth did he have to go?_ She couldn’t help but to wonder. It was a little after ten, she decided to go ahead and get ready for the day. Her body caught aflame, evaporating all of the water on her body and in her hair. When her flames disappeared, her naturally straight hair was smooth and dry. Kenna didn’t wear much makeup, only enough to accentuate her natural features. 

Her stomach growled loudly after she got dressed and she checked her reflection one last time before going to the kitchen.

“I was just about to have JARVIS call for you,” her dad said when she entered. “I made blueberry pancakes,” he set a stack of pancakes down as she sat down at the kitchen bar. 

“My favorite,” she exclaimed as he handed her a fork. 

“Where’d Romeo go off to this morning?”

“I have no idea,” she shrugged. “He just told me he’d pick me up at noon.”

“Oh, he’s picking you up?” he asked as he sat at the bar with her.

“Well, I mean, we are both going to the same place.”

“Yeah, okay,” he smirked, diving into his pancakes. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m still pretty overwhelmed,” she sighed. “I’m just trying to not think about it.”

“I’m no expert, but that might not be the best way to handle this.”

“Why worry about it? It doesn’t change anything…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she breathed out, taking another bite of her pancakes. “I think I’m ready to join SHIELD.”

“Really?” his eyes doubled in size.

“It’s time that I use my powers for good,” he smiled proudly at her. “Which means I have to tell everyone what I’ve been hiding from them…” 

“Do you have plans tonight?” he asked her.

“I don’t think we’re doing anything besides going to the zoo,” she shrugged. 

“Would you like me to invite everyone over? Maybe for a movie night?”

“That would be good, let’s just check with Thor before calling everyone.”

“Why? Are you hoping he has more plans for you two?” he arched an eyebrow and she blushed. 

“Eat your pancakes,” she mumbled, making him chuckle. 

“You know I just want you to be happy, Kenny.”

“It wouldn’t ever work,” she shrugged. 

“Why do you say that?”

“He’s a literal god and the king of another realm. And even if we got over the whole distance thing, he has been alive for at least a thousand years but appears to be about twenty-five in human years. I’d be ninety and he would not have aged at all. And again, _a literal god.”_

“So you're telling me that if he burst through that door and confessed his love for you right this second, you would turn him down because of those reasons?”

“Well, I mean… maybe not…”

“That’s what I thought,” he chuckled, taking a bite of his pancakes. He could tell she anxious, so he stopped teasing her. 

“He’ll be here soon,” he said as he loaded the dishwasher while she washed the pans. “Go ahead, I’ll wash the rest.”

“Thanks, dad,” she smiled as she dried her hands off. She returned to her bedroom, checking to see if anything needed touched up. As she was brushing her hair, there was a knock at her door.

“Come in,” she called and the door opened, revealing Thor. “Oh, hi,” she smiled and got up from her vanity.

“Ready?” he asked her and she nodded, grabbing her purse and sunglasses on the way out. “I have heard you talk about how slow the cars move through the streets of Manhattan, so I thought we could walk or take the train beneath the ground?” 

“It’s a little too far to walk,” she chuckled. “Let’s take the subway.” She guided him through the streets and down to the subway platform. She couldn’t help but to laugh at how much Thor stood out among everyone else. He stood practically a foot above everyone else, bigger and stronger than everyone else. The subway was crowded, forcing them to both stand. Thor stood with ease, barely moving as the subway rocked. Kenna, though, wasn’t as stable. She held onto the pole with all of her strength, but still felt like she was going to fall over at any moment. Thor noticed that she was struggling to stand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, helping to stabilize her. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.

“This is our stop,” she told him and he followed her off the train. It wasn’t just their stop, it seemed like it was **everyone’s stop.**

“Kenna?” Thor called out when he lost her in the crowd. She heard his booming voice and couldn’t help but to laugh.

“Come on,” she said and took his hand, leading him through the crowd. He tangled his fingers with hers, smiling at the contact, and followed her out of the station. She couldn’t help but to notice his grip tightened a little as they walked the streets of Manhattan -- almost like he didn’t want her hand to leave his, so it didn’t. 

They walked the streets together, hand in hand, until they reached the zoo. Kenna was suddenly no longer leading Thor, he was leading her. He guided her to the last ticket window of a long line of windows and he said something to the worker that she couldn’t hear, then the worker disappeared and the side door to the booth opened. 

“This way,” the worker greeted them.

“I have a surprise for you,” he smiled down at her and led her through the door. 

“Where are we going?” she asked as they walked through the zoo.

“It would not be a surprise if I told you,” he chuckled, his hand held hers even tighter and she noticed just how excited he looked. The worker led them through another door and then a gate. Kenna gasped when she realized what enclosure they were in and the zookeepers that waited for them couldn’t help but to smile at her reaction.

“Thor,” she whispered, almost on the verge of tears. 

“I thought you should meet the animals you love so much,” he told her and she shook her head, amazed. She probably would have kept standing there, looking at the large elephants standing around her, if it weren’t for Thor dragging her towards them and the workers.

“We are going to be giving them baths,” Thor told her and her eyes tripled in size.

“Really?” she breathed out and he nodded. 

“And I heard that a little one was recently born,” he whispered to her and just as he said that, a small elephant came running over to them. 

“Oh my god,” she practically cried as she crouched down to play with the elephant. 

“He’s pretty affectionate,” one of the zookeepers warned just as the baby tackled Kenna to the ground, rolling all over her.

“I love him,” she hugged the baby elephant as he knocked her over again.

“You’re going to need a bath, too,” Thor laughed as Kenna got covered in dirt from the baby. 

“Come on, Sabu,” one of the workers laughed and the baby ran towards the worker. Thor helped Kenna off the ground and they followed the workers to the washing area. A large bull walked over to Thor and rubbed her head against him, almost knocking him over entirely.

“She is strong,” Thor chuckled, petting her trunk. 

“Jati is Sabu’s mother,” one of the workers told them. She rubbed against Thor again, her tusk catching on his shirt and ripping it.

“She is ornery,” he chuckled as he looked down at the huge gaping hole in his t-shirt.

“She’s smart,” Kenna laughed as Thor took his shirt off. 

They spent the next hour laughing as they washed the elephants. Kenna washed Sabu, who ran around her as she washed him and rubbed his soapy self against her. Thor laughed as he watched Kenna struggled to wash the infant bull while he washed Jati. 

“She’s moving in on your man,” one of the workers laughed as Jati kept showing Thor affection. Kenna blushed a deep shade of red at the workers words.

“I think Sabu is done,” Kenna laughed as the little bull ran off and back into the habitat.

“You can help me, Jati is much bigger,” Thor chuckled. She walked over to Jati and Thor moved out of the way. Kenna rested her hand on Jati’s trunk, looking the elephant in the eye. 

“She is so beautiful,” she whispered and the elephant nuzzled against her. 

“She likes you, too,” Thor said softly.

“I like her, too,” she laughed. By the time the two of them were done washing the bulls, they were both covered in water and soap, he was still shirtless. 

The workers led them out of the the enclosure and Kenna thanked them a thousand times before saying goodbye. 

“Thor,” Kenna said when they were finally alone. “That was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“You deserved it,” he said softly. 

“What gave you the idea to do this?”

“I wanted to do something that would make you happy,” he told her. “I like to see you happy, Kenna, it makes me happy.”

“Well, trust me, I’m incredibly happy,” she smiled. “Thank you, Thor. I will never forget this day.” 

“There is another reason I wanted to do this,” he said, stepping closer to her. “I have feelings for you Kenna, I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy and seeing you smile.”

“Oh,” she whispered, it felt like the air had been knocked out of her. Her heart dropped to her feet. Her stomach fluttered from the millions of butterflies he gave her. This is what she had wanted since the moment she had met him, this was better than any dream she had ever had. 

The simple thing for her to do in this moment would be for her to confess her feelings for him, to kiss him hard and passionately. That's what she wanted to do, that's what her heart wanted her to do. That's what every atom in her body wanted her to do. But her brain could only focus on one thing he said. 

_The rest of my life._

She wouldn't be around for the rest of his life. In comparison to his lifetime, she would only be in his life for a brief minute. She would die and he would be left heartbroken, sad, and alone. That's not what she wanted for him. 

She wanted to be selfish and to ignore all of her concerns, she wanted to spend her life loving him. But she also wanted to protect him. 

“I’d like for you to be mine, Kenna -- of course, that is if you have feelings for me, too…” 

“Thor… I just -- I don't think it will work."


	5. Chapter 5

“What do you mean?” his face fell, his brows furrowed together. In that moment, he felt like his heart was shattering. She took his hand in hers and led him to a bench under a nearby tree.

“You are going to be the king of Asgard, doesn’t that mean you need to be there? To rule your realm?”

“I can bring you with me,” he whispered as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

“What about my family? What about dad and my friends? And what about your family? I’m sure they really don’t want a human walking around Asgard or dating their future king.”

“You could still come see your family, you could still travel back to Midgard and see them and we can bring them to Asgard. Tony would be fascinated by the technology in Asgard. My mother would love you, my father would be happy to see me happy,” he spoke quickly, trying to convince her that it would all be okay. 

“Okay, but, Thor, you’re also a god and compared to me -- you’re immortal,” she told him. “In my entire lifetime, you’re only going to age **maybe** a year. I’ll grow old and you won’t age at all…”

“We can figure that out,” he told her. 

“How?” she asked and he sighed.

“I will figure out a way,” he assured her. 

“Is there some magical, Asgardian potion that can make me immortal?” 

“No,” he sounded sad. “But do you not have feelings for me? I could have sworn on all of the nine realms that you did.”

“I do,” her voice cracked. “And it’s because I have feelings for you and because I care so much about you that I have to do this, Thor. I don’t want us to fall in love just for me to die and to leave you heartbroken and alone for centuries to come. I don’t want you to end up hurt. I want to grow old with you, I want to live our lives together… I don’t want to be just a brief moment of your life.” 

“Just say you will be mine and I will find a way for us to live our lives together,” he begged. All he wanted was for her to say yes. 

“And if you don’t? Do we break up and we both end up hurt?”

“Kenna --” 

“It wouldn’t work,” her voice broke and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I have wanted this for so long, but we have to be honest with ourselves…” he gently wiped her tears away and nodded, he knew she was right. His eyes were full of disappointment and heartbreak, it killed Kenna to look at him, to know she caused this pain. Kenna wanted nothing more than to kiss him, to fix it -- but she knew that in the long run he would only end up more hurt.

“We should go,” he sounded defeated.

“Let’s go find you a shirt,” her voice was soft. They were both silent on the way back to the tower, not even glancing in each others direction. 

As soon as they got back to the tower, they went their separate ways; Thor to his room and Kenna to Tony’s shop. 

“Kenna, how was the zoo?” he asked her without looking up from his work. When she didn’t say anything, he glanced up at her and his heart broke for her. Immediately, he knew what had happened. 

“He took me to privately wash elephants then told me he had feelings for me and I had to turn him down,” she cried and he rushed over to her, pulling her into his arms.

“You didn’t have to turn him down,” he whispered.

“I couldn’t be selfish, I couldn’t pretend that it would be okay. He would have ended up hurt, he would have ended up heartbroken. I’m a mortal, dad. I will die in seventy years… and that’s nothing to him. He would have to mourn me, he would have to move on from me. I don’t want to be the one that hurts him.”

“So hurting both of you, not even giving it a chance, and being miserable without each other is the better option?” She was quiet, wondering if she made the wrong choice. 

“Even if you did get hurt in the end, you two could have such a great time together. It would be one hell of an adventure and I think it’d be worth it,” he told her and she looked at him, thinking over what he said. 

Tony laughed as she turned around, running out of his shop.

“Thor?” she called out, running to his room. When she threw his door open, she found it empty -- of everything. The things he brought for his stay were gone as well as his suit.

“Shit,” she cursed and she threw open his window and jumped out, her body catching a flame. She flew up, up to the penthouse where the outdoor platform was. Then she saw him, his hammer in the air, colors cascading around him.

“Thor!” she called again, but he was gone before he could hear her. She levitated there, completely shocked.

“Kenna!” she heard her dad call and she turned to see him flying behind her in his suit. She didn’t say anything to him, instead landing on the platform. Her legs were weak under her, all she could do was sit there.

“Kenna, what’s going on?” Tony asked her.

“Why are you in your suit?” she eventually asked.

“JARVIS told me you jumped out the window.”

 

“He’s set up to tell you if I jump out the window?”

“Well when you were younger, it was the rebellious teen protocol and now it’s called the suicide prevention protocol.” She couldn’t do anything but stare and blink at him. “Where’s Thor?” he eventually asked her.

“Asgard, I guess,” she raised her hand, gesturing towards the sky, still in disbelief. “I can’t believe I rejected Thor… a god. A fucking king.”

“I can’t believe he took it so hard,’ Tony said, his suit breaking down around him. 

“He said he was going to stay for awhile… he brought so much stuff with him.”

“I think he was banking on you saying yes.” 

“What did I do,” she groaned, throwing herself back on the balcony platform.

“So,” Tony started, sitting down next her. “You got to wash elephants?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “It was magical -- the perfect day. We got there and he had everything planned out for us. A worker led us to the elephant exhibit and I was greeted by a baby elephant that tackled me to the ground and just wanted to cuddle.”

“That would explain why you’re so dirty,” Tony laughed.

“I washed Sabu and when he had enough, I helped Thor wash Jati, the mom. Then when we were done, he confessed how he felt about me and I told him all of my concerns and he had no answers. So I told him it wouldn’t work. I ruined our perfect day. Now everytime I think of elephants, I’ll remember this.” 

“You definitely need a movie night,” Tony said. “JARVIS, activate protocol Sad Kenna.”

“Really, Dad? First suicide prevention and now sad Kenna?”

“I have so many different protocols set up that I ran out of good names,” he shrugged. “Go get washed up, everyone will be here soon.”

 

Thor arrived to Asgard and immediately went straight to the library. He pulled out every book he could find on spells, Asgardians, and immortality. He poured over the old, leather bound books. Page after page, book after book. Hours went by and he didn’t move, didn’t think of anything else but finding an answer. 

He knew Kenna was right, he knew that it wouldn’t work. If they were together, he would have to watch her grow old before dying. He would be left heartbroken and alone, with thousands of years left in his life. 

But he also knew that Kenna was his soulmate, that there was no one else in all nine realms that perfectly complimented him. He knew the moment he saw her that he was supposed to be with her, that they were meant to be. At first, he convinced himself that she didn’t feel the same way about him, that she only wanted to be friends. But then he noticed the way she would blush around him, how she would look away shyly, the way her breath would catch when his skin would touch hers. She didn’t act that way when she was around Steve or the others. He couldn’t help but to wonder, did she have feelings for him? So, he took a chance and he was right, she did have feelings for him -- and it scared her. He knew Kenna and he knew that’s why she pushed him away. 

He was determined to find a way for them to be together, he knew there had to be a way. With all of the magic and power in all nine realms, there had to be a way.

 

Kenna took a deep breath as she stood in front of her mirror. She knew everyone was on their way over and that she was going to tell them what she could do. Her skin was hot, her nerves getting the best of her.

Then there was a knock on the door, startling her. When she opened her door, Steve was standing there.

“Steve,” she breathed out and he pulled her into a hug. 

“Why was protocol Sad Kenna activated?” he asked her and she let out a sad laugh. 

“Thor told me he had feelings for me after the best date ever and I turned him down and he went back to Asgard,” she said quickly, still pressed close to his chest.

“What?” he exclaimed, pulling away from her to look at her.

“I’d really rather not talk about it,” she shrugged and he nodded. 

“When you do, I’m here,” he told her.

“There is something else that we need to talk about,” she looked down at her feet and he knew something was wrong. She was never shy around him. She stepped aside, letting him into her room before shutting the door. He sat next to her on her bed and she let out a shaky breath.

“There’s something that I’ve been hiding from everyone and I plan on telling everyone tonight, but I wanted to tell you by ourselves. I’m actually really scared to tell you because I don’t want you to think I’ve lied to you all of this time and I don’t want you to blame yourself,” her voice cracked and his face softened.

“You can tell me anything, Kenny,” he said softly, his hand resting on her shoulder.

“There’s something I actually just found out yesterday, which explains what I’m going to tell you,” she stalled. “Tony isn’t my biological father.”

“Really?” his brows furrowed together and she nodded.

“I was born to two scientists -- two scientists that didn’t actually want a child. The only reason that I was born was so that they could use me as a test subject for their experiment… they were trying to recreate the super soldier serum.”

“What?” he breathed out and she stood up. 

“Instead of creating a super soldier, they created this,” she said and her entire body caught on fire. Steve gasped and jumped back on her bed.

“I can also control electricity,” she told him and the power flickered in her room. He couldn’t stop himself from standing up, circling her to get a better look at her flames. Heat radiated off of her, flames danced around her. Underneath all of the flames, her skin looked molten.

“Wow,” he breathed out and her flames disappeared. Slowly, he reached out and touched her skin, it was still hot to the touch. “So that explains why you’re always so warm.” 

“Yeah,” she laughed softly before sitting back down. 

“So, how did Tony end up adopting you?” he asked confused, sitting down next to her.

“He saw lightning strike the scientist’s house and then saw smoke billowing out of the house. In reality, the lightning was caused by me. I caused an explosion in the lab, killing the two scientists. He ran to the house, burst inside, and he found me. He actually called Fury to the scene and Fury tried to take me, but Dad insisted that I would be going home with him. He says he instantly fell in love with me and wasn’t going to let S.H.I.E.L.D. take advantage of me -- which is why we never told anyone about my powers.”

“How old were you when he found you?” his voice was quiet. 

“About two weeks,” she told him. 

“They did that to an infant?” his heart broke.

“To them, I was just a lab rat,” her voice cracked and tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I just found out this part yesterday.”

“How?” 

“I found the recording of their experiment yesterday when Dad was on his way home.”

“You found that out alone?” he asked and she nodded.

“Then I ran away.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” he sounded sad.

“Because I was so afraid to tell you… I didn’t want you to blame yourself for something two assholes did nineteen years ago.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone during that, though.”

“Thor actually showed up at the hotel I was at,” she sighed. 

“Oh,” he whispered and she nodded. “Well, now I understand protocol sad Kenna.”

“I don’t think I’m going to tell anyone else that I’m adopted,” she told Steve and he nodded. 

“I won’t tell anyone,” he assured her. 

“I should tell dad that I’m not going to tell everyone that part,” she said. “Hey JARVIS, can you tell dad to come here?” 

“Yes, Kenna,” the AI told her and she leaned against Steve.

“It’s been a rough two days,” she rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Well, you are more than welcome to come stay with me in Brooklyn or I can stay here with you. Either way, I’m here for you, Kenny,” Steve wrapped his arms around her and held her.

“Thanks Stevie,” she sighed and her bedroom door opened. 

“What’s up, Kenna?” her dad asked as he shut her door behind him.

“Well, I just wanted to let you know that although Steve and Thor already know, I don’t plan on telling anyone else that you’re not my biological dad -- because you’re still my dad, no matter what.” 

“Thank you, Kenna,” he breathed out, sounding relieved. “Capsicle, if you let it slip --”

“I won’t,” Steve said seriously. “I wouldn’t do that to you two.” 

“Thanks, Steve,” Tony smiled. “I’m going to go finish getting things ready.”

“Do you need help?” Kenna offered.

“No, keep cuddling Steve. You’ve had a rough couple of days,” he laughed as he left her room.

“He’s not wrong,” she laughed, leaning more into Steve.


	6. Chapter 6

“I don’t want you guys to think that I’ve been lying to you this whole time, Dad just wanted to protect me from S.H.I.E.L.D. -- he didn’t want them to turn me into an asset. But now that I’m older, I’ve decided I want to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside you guys --.”

“Kenna,” Natasha laughed, interrupting her. “It takes years of training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.”

“I wasn’t finished,” Kenna growled, her entire body catching aflame. They all gasped as the power went out around them and Kenna remained there, flames dancing around her and her skin like lava.

“Holy shit,” Natasha whispered. Sparks of electricity bounced off of her hands, lightning flashed outside. Bruce stood up and circled her, fascinated by her powers. 

“I was born with these powers,” she lied. “Dad believes it’s a genetic mutation -- the mutant gene.” 

“Wow,” Bruce breathed out. The living room glowed red from her flames. She wanted desperately to tell Bruce that her powers were due to gamma radiation, but that would mean she’d have to tell him everything else. 

“Why aren’t you reacting, Cap?” Clint asked him. Kenna restored the power within the tower and her flames disappeared.

“She told me before you guys got here,” Steve told them.

“I was nervous and needed to practice on a smaller crowd,” she laughed. 

“Tony, you not only raised a child as a single father -- but one with powers?” Bruce looked to him, amazed. 

“Trust me, it wasn’t easy,” Tony chuckled. “I have the burn scars to prove it. Adolescence was the hardest, she loses control over her powers when she’s angry.”

“I’ve gotten better,” Kenna defended herself.

“I wish I would have known,” Bruce said. “We could have helped each other.”

“I wanted to tell you,” Kenna smiled sadly at him, there was so much more she wanted to share with him.

“I just wanted to protect her,” Tony said, wrapping his arm around her.

“So is it fire and electricity?” Bruce asked and they both nodded.

“And when she’s really pissed, she can explode like a bomb,” Tony shook his head. “That was a fun discovery.”

“Wow,” Bruce breathed out. He was the most amazed out of everyone, perhaps it was the scientist in him. Or perhaps it was because he’d never met a ‘mutant’ before.

“Now that you know, I really would love to work on better controlling my anger with you,” Kenna told Bruce and he nodded.

“And although Dad and I have been training for several years with some of the best assassins, I’d like to start training with you, Nat,” she told Natasha.

“Of course,” she smirked.

“So, now that you all know our little truth, the pizzas should be here soon,” Tony clapped his hands together, the focus moving off of her. Kenna let out a sigh of relief, grateful that everyone took their secret well. Steve watched as Kenna’s body relaxed and he walked over to her, taking her in his arms.

“You had nothing to worry about, Kenny,” he whispered and she shrugged into his hug. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” she sighed. 

“We’ll get you through this, Ken,” he assured her.

“I just wish he wouldn’t have ran off to Asgard…”

“He could have handled it better… but you did turn him down, and that had to hurt,” Steve told her. 

“It hurt me too,” her voice was barely above a whisper and he squeezed her closer. 

“I’m sure that he knows that, doll. It would be a lot easier for me to know what to say if you told me what happened,” he told her and she nodded before pulling him into the kitchen.

“He took me to wash elephants then he confessed his feelings for me,” she looked at him with big, sad eyes.

“I didn’t know that Thor was such a romantic,” Steve said surprised. “How did he think to do that?”

“He wanted to do something that would make me happy,” her lip quivered. 

“Why did you turn him down, Kenny? I know you have feelings for him.”

“Because he’s the king of another realm, an Asgardian that’s over a thousand years old. I would grow old and die and he would barely age at all, leaving him to mourn me for centuries to come,” she explained.

“Oh,” Steve whispered.

“And I told him all of this and he didn’t have any answers -- other than that I’d move to Asgard,” she shook her head. “He practically begged me to just be his girlfriend and I told him it wouldn’t work.”

“Oh, Kenna,” he hugged her again. 

“Can we eat absurds amount of cookie dough?” her voice was sad and he couldn’t help but to chuckle at the question.

“Of course, let’s make some,” he suggested and she nodded. They made the recipe they’ve made a dozen times before -- multiplying it a few times so that they could bake cookies and have enough dough for everyone else to eat, too. 

“There,” Kenna said as she shut the door of their large oven and set the timer. 

“Pizza’s here,” Tony entered the room and everyone else followed him into the room, all carrying a couple of pizza boxes. 

“Perfect, cookies will be done soon,” Kenna informed him as they set out the pizzas on their absurdly large kitchen island. “Cookie dough is in the fridge.” 

She couldn’t help but to laugh as Clint went straight to the fridge, pulling out one of the bowls of dough that Kenna portioned out for everyone. She shook her head as he perched himself on the counter while everyone grabbed a stool around their island. 

“What movie are we watching?” Steve asked Tony as they all ate their pizza. 

“Beauty and the Beast,” he smiled at Kenna and her face lit up. “Then maybe The Little Mermaid. After all, it is protocol Sad Kenna.”

“So, why exactly is Kenna sad?” Natasha looked at her.

“I upset someone important to me,” Kenna shrugged, leaving it at that.

“Thor?” Nat asked her and she nodded. 

“Is there a mad Kenna protocol?” Bruce asked, changing the subject away from Thor. 

“Oh yes,” Tony chuckled. “That one is a little trickier because that protocol is when she’s on fire and nothing can actually extinguish her flames. The only thing that can is her..”

“There’s a fireproof room full of targets, punching bags, and art supplies,” Kenna laughed. 

“It’s best to just let her get her anger out if there’s no controlling the situation that made her angry,” Tony shrugged.

“Usually all you need to do is apologize,” Kenna teased him, making everyone laugh. 

“A lot of problems could be solved if Tony would apologize,” Natasha chuckled.

“Kenna is the only one that ever gets apologies from Tony,” Steve said, shaking his head.

“Well, she’s the only one who deserves it,” Tony added and everyone scoffed. 

“Eat your pizza,” Kenna rolled her eyes as she took the cookies out of the oven. 

The six of them ate their pizza, joking and teasing each other the whole time. Every time they were together, they would tease each other relentlessly. They acted like any other family when they were together. They were all Kenna’s big siblings, protective of her but not afraid to tease her. No matter what, they were always there for her, just like right now. 

“Ready?” Tony asked as they all settled into their oversized sofa bed in their theater room. Everyone nodded, popcorn and cookie dough in hand. 

 

_(Fast forward a few weeks for just a moment -- just because I want to leave you on a cliffhanger for a little while.)_

Thor threw a book across the library in frustration. He had been searching for an answer for weeks and could not find any answers. He paced the library in frustration, not sure where to look next. He let out a frustrated groan as he scanned the books on the shelves for the hundredth time. Nothing here held the answers. 

There was only one person he could think of that might know something, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust him. At this point, though, he was desperate. He needed an answer, he needed to find a way for him and Kenna to be together. Thor knew there had to be a way, the universe wouldn’t create a soulmate for him that couldn’t grow old with him.

Sighing, he left the library, walking quickly through the palace. The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed through the halls and then down the dungeon stairs. He gripped his hammer tightly as he rounded the corner.

“Ah, brother,” the familiar voice greeted him.

“Loki,” he growled.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” the trickster smirked. “You look absolutely terrible,” he chuckled. “When was the last time you slept?” Thor stopped to think, realizing he did not know.

“What has you so preoccupied, brother?” Loki stood, walking over to his cell wall where Thor was standing. “The Stark girl, perhaps?” Loki watched Thor’s face fall at the mention of her -- bingo. Loki’s hands rested against the wall and he leaned into it, staring Thor in the eyes. 

“Did you finally tell her you had feelings for her?” he smirked as he watched Thor’s knuckles turn white around his hammer. 

“Oh dear,” Loki shook his head. “She must have rejected you.”

“We do not age at the same rate,” Thor said beneath his breath -- a fact he couldn’t deny.

“And you’re searching for a way to change that?” Loki chuckled as Thor nodded his head, not meeting Loki’s gaze. “You must be truly desperate to come to me.”

“I can not find anything in the texts,” Thor shook his head, looking defeated. Loki couldn’t help but to laugh at Thor’s foolishness.

“Do you truly think that if there was a way for her to age like an Asgardian, it’d be written in a text for anyone to read? Don’t be foolish.”

“Is there a way?” Thor asked softly and Loki turned away from him to hide his smirk.

“There is.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Can you be ready by ten tomorrow?” Tony asked Kenna when the credits to Beauty and the Beast started rolling. 

“Yeah, where are we going?” she asked him.

“There are some people that I want you to meet,” he told her and she furrowed her eyebrows together, confused. “Capsicle can come too, if you want him to.”

“Steve?” she looked to the other side of her. 

“Sure,” he shrugged. 

“Little Mermaid?” Tony asked Kenna and she nodded. 

 

“Mr. Stark, it is time to wake up,” JARVIS’s voice rang through the theater, causing everyone to stir. Arms tightened around Kenna, and the feeling caused her to wake up even more. It only took her a moment to recognize the firm arms around her.

“Steve,” she groaned, his grip preventing her from getting up. His grip only tightened, making it harder for her to breathe. 

“Steven,” she managed to say but the super soldier didn’t budge. Instead, he held on to her like a child with a teddy bear. 

_We’ll do this the hard way._

Kenna’s body temperature began to increase, just enough so that it was uncomfortable but not enough to hurt him. 

“Why is it so hot?” he groaned, finally waking up.

“Maybe because you’re strangling me,” she strained to say and he finally let her go. When she was finally released, she sat up and looked around her. Everyone was sprawled out on the oversized bed, tangled together and asleep. 

“Dad,” she shook him awake and he groaned, slowly opening his eyes. “It’s nine,” she yawned and he sat up, realizing they needed to go soon. Sighing, he peeled himself out of the bed and stretched his arms over his head. 

“How should I dress?” she asked him.

“Casually dressy,” he told her and she scrunched her nose.

“What the hell does that mean?” she asked and he chuckled before leaving. “Come on, Stevie,” she dragged him out of bed, knowing he’d fall back to sleep if she left him there. 

“What the hell is casually dressy,” she muttered after her shower, looking at her closet. After cursing her dad for his vague instructions, she grabbed a black dress, some black lace tights, black leather jacket, and booties.

“I guess this works,” she mumbled as she grabbed her purse and sunglasses.

“Perfect,” her dad smiled at her when she walked into the living room where he and Steve were waiting for her. 

“Good,” she breathed out. “I need coffee.”

“Which is why we’re leaving a little earlier than we need to,” Tony chuckled. 

The three of them left the tower and walked to Kenna’s favorite local coffee shop where she got the biggest, blackest cold brew she could and a muffin. 

“So, where are we going?” Kenna asked Tony as they walked through the streets of Manhattan.

“The Baxter Building,” he told her and her brows furrowed together.

“What the hell is that?” she asked him, making him chuckle.

“A scientist friend of mine, his wife, her brother and their friend live and work there,” he said nonchalantly.

“Why do I not know these people?” 

“I think you’ll understand more when we get there,” he told her and she stopped in her tracks.

“You’re not trying to set me up with the brother or friend, are you?” she asked him.

“Oh _god_ no,” he told her. “Trust me, I would not want that.”

“Do you know where we’re going?” she asked Steve as they followed Tony.

“Maybe,” he said cooly and she glared at him.

“Well, this isn’t fair,” she mumbled and Steve chuckled before placing his arm around her.

“Trust me, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” 

 

“Should I be nervous?” Kenna asked in the elevator.

“No,” Tony chuckled. “Just… maybe be prepared for anything,” he smirked as the elevator door opened. Well what the hell did that mean? They were greeted by two men and a women, Kenna couldn’t help but to wonder where the fourth man Tony mentioned was. 

“Hi! You must be Kenna,” the woman smiled at her. “I’m Susan and this is my husband, Reed,” she gestured to the man on her left.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” she smiled at them, then looked to the other man standing there. The blonde appeared to be only a few years older than her and he looked _awfully_ familiar. 

“I’m Johnny,” he smiled and stepped towards her, extending his hand. Heat radiated from his hand -- it felt familiar to her. Her brows furrowed together as she looked at Johnny and he looked just as confused as her -- he noticed her warmth, too. Kenna couldn’t help but to focus on Johnny as Susan and Reed exchanged pleasantries with Steve and Tony. There was something about him and she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.

“Please, come in,” Susan said and led them to a living area. 

“So Kenna, you’re probably wondering why you’re here,” Reed said to her and she nodded. “Your dad explained to me that you actually don’t know who we are… we are the Fantastic Four.” Her brows furrowed together, was that supposed to mean something to her?

“The three of us, and our friend Ben, who you will meet soon, were exposed to cosmic rays during a scientific mission,” Susan explained. “That experience gave all four of us powers.” 

“How come I’ve never heard of you?” Kenna asked, confused.

“Well, for one, they aren’t associated with SHIELD,” Tony told her. “And I may have programmed all of your devices and our TV to mute any news, conversations, or posts about them.” 

“Why would you do that?” she looked at him and then back to the three of them.

“You weren’t ready to come out yet,” he said, confusing her more.

“But what’s that have to do with anything?”

“Perhaps we should show you what our powers are,” Susan smiled at her and Kenna nodded. Kenna couldn’t help but to notice that Johnny’s eyes were locked on her.

“Ben is actually waiting for us,” Susan told her after they piled into the elevator. “His powers are strength, durability and endurance. You should know that the cosmic rays affected his appearance as well,” Susan explained. 

When the elevator door opened, Kenna was relieved that Susan warned her so that she didn’t physically react. 

“Kenna, this is Ben,” Susan introduced them as they walked into what appeared to be a training area. Kenna noticed that along one of the walls of the room was what appeared to be an open garage door, a small platform extending outside. 

“Nice to meet you,” Kenna smiled at him.

“You too,” he said gruffly. 

“So, the public refers to me as Invisible Girl,” Susan told her before disappearing, leaving just her clothes. “I can also project invisible force fields,” she reappeared in front of her.

“That’s amazing,” Kenna said, completely stunned. 

“As narcissistic as it sounds,” Reed chuckled, “I’m called Mr. Fantastic.” Kenna’s jaw dropped as he stretched to be ten feet tall, then extended arms across the room.

“Holy shit,” she said under her breath as she looked at him. 

“It’s a little strange,” Reed chuckled as he shrunk back down to his normal height. 

“It’s incredible,” she shook her head and then turned to Johnny. “And what about you?” she arched her brow and he chuckled.

“I think I’ll impress you the most,” he winked at her before stepping away from the group of them until he was a safe distance away. Kenna audibly gasped as she watched Johnny become engulfed in flames. His clothes burnt away, leaving him instead in his Fantastic Four jumpsuit. Through the flames, she could see Johnny chuckling at her reaction. 

Smirking, she dropped her leather jacket to the ground. As she stepped towards him, she became engulfed in flames herself. He was just as shocked as she had been… Susan and Reed hadn’t told him what her powers were.

“Wow,” he breathed out, taking her in. He had never heard of someone having similar powers to him, let alone have them stand in front of him.

“Shall we?” he asked her before looking to the open door in the room. 

“Oh, we shall,” she smirked and the two of them flew out of the building. They raced through the buildings of Manhattan, Kenna passed him easily and flew up towards the sky before landing on the roof of a tall building, her flames disappearing from around her. 

“Awesome!” he laughed as he landed next to her. “I never thought that there was someone else with the same powers as me.”

“I wouldn’t say the exact same,” she smirked and lightning flashed around them.

“Woah,” he breathed out as he watched the lightning. “Reed and Susan told me that you had powers, but then didn’t tell me what they were.”

“I could tell something was different when you shook my hand,” she told him, sitting on the edge of the roof.

“It was the heat, right?” he asked, sitting next to her. “I noticed it from you, too.” 

“I usually try to keep my body temperature down when I know I’ll come in contact with people, but it gets exhausting,” she said and he nodded.

“Trust me, I know,” he shook his head. “It makes people not want to be near you.”

“Thankfully the people in my life don’t mind it. Steve likes the warmth,” she chuckled. 

“Are you two dating?” Johnny asked her and Kenna couldn’t help but to laugh.

“Oh god no,” she shook her head. “Me and America’s Golden Boy? He’s my brother, my best friend.”

“That would explain why he kept glaring at me,” Johnny laughed.

“Was he?” she sounded surprised. “I wonder why…”

“Unfortunately, I have a bit of a reputation in the tabloids,” he sighed. “Of the playboy variety.”

“Ah,” she nodded, realizing why Tony was so adamant about this not being a set up. “I don’t think that a tabloid is the best way to get to know someone. I mean, I’ve seen what they write about my dad and it couldn’t be the farthest from the truth.”

“That’s a relief to hear,” he chuckled. “A lot of people don’t even give me a chance because of what they read about me. Or because they’re afraid of me.”

“Why would they be afraid?” her brows furrowed together. 

“Because they don’t want to get burned -- quite literally.”

“I never thought about that,” she said quietly. “I just told the people close to me about my powers… yesterday.”

“Wow,” he breathed out. “How long have you had them?”

“Since I was born.”

“I’m sure you were a fun kid,” Johnny chuckled.

“Dad has the burns to prove it,” she laughed, repeating Tony’s line. 

“Did everyone react well?”

“Yeah, I mean, I told the Avengers. They are a pretty understanding group when it comes to powers.”

“That is a pretty easy group to tell,” he laughed. “How’d your boyfriend take it?” he asked and she realized what he was doing.

“You are really interested in if I’m single or not,” she arched her brow.

“You are really blunt,” he laughed, she had caught him off guard. 

“I am a Stark,” she smirked.

“So, Miss Stark, are you single?” he leaned closer to her, looking her directly in the eyes. She sighed, looking down at her hands. “Recently single?” he asked softly.

“It’s complicated,” she said softly. “A few days ago, someone that I had feelings for admitted that he also had feelings for me… but I knew it wasn’t practical. It wouldn’t work, so I had to turn them down.”

“Why wouldn’t it work?”

“Well, he’s an Asgardian,” she laughed sadly.

“Thor?” his eyes doubled in size. “You turned down Thor? God, I don’t stand a chance,” he said, making her truly laugh. 

“Well, I mean, you actually age at the same rate and live on earth,” she shrugged. 

“So, there is a chance?” he asked her softly. 

“I don’t know -- definitely not anytime soon,” she was honest with him and he nodded. “I’ve had feelings for Thor for years. It’s not something that’s going to go away anytime soon. And also , this would never work if you only want to date me for my powers, because as of right now… you don’t even know me and I know nothing about you other than everyone thinks you’re a playboy.”

“I understand,” he told her. “But, it’s not just your powers I’m interested. Don’t get me wrong, they definitely caught my attention... I don’t know. There’s just something about you and I’d like to get to know you more.”

“Well we can definitely do that -- as friends,” she told him and he nodded. “My dad’s probably freaking out. Show me the way back?” 

“This way,” he smiled before jumping off the building, his body becoming engulfed in flames. She couldn’t help but to laugh as she followed.


	8. Chapter 8

“Good work today,” Natasha breathed out, winded from their training.

“Thanks,” Kenna smiled, grabbing a towel and patting her forehead.

“Same time tomorrow,” Natasha told her and Kenna nodded before slipping out of the training room. She went straight to the kitchen to make herself a protein shake where she found her dad and Steve.

“Any plans today?” Tony asked her.

“Johnny and I are going to go try this new place that just opened, they serve safe to eat cookie dough like it’s ice cream,” she told him as she shook her blender bottle.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him,” Tony arched a brow and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re the one that wanted me to meet him,” she sang while leaving the kitchen, heading to her room.

She met Johnny a little over a three weeks ago -- which meant that Thor disappeared to Asgard a little over three weeks ago. 

“Kenny,” Steve called after her, following her to her room.

“Stevie,” she opened her door, inviting him to come in, too.

“Your dad just doesn’t want you to end up getting hurt,” he told her and she sighed. 

“Steve, I’m already hurt!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “I don’t want to be with Johnny, Steve. We’re friends, that’s it! I don’t want to be anything more than friends with him and he knows that, I’ve told him that countless times because guess what? I still have feelings for Thor. And those feelings aren’t going anywhere so please, can you and dad just stop? Just stop.”

“Yeah,” he said softly as she shut herself in her bathroom. 

**I’ll just meet you there** , she texted Johnny before getting in the shower. The less he came around the tower, the better. 

 

Johnny sighed when he read the text message. 

“Kenna?” Susan asked him and he nodded. 

“I was going to pick her up, but she just wants to meet there,” he told her.

“Johnny, she told you she just wanted to be friends and that she had feelings for someone else,” Susan smiled sadly at him. 

“For Thor,” he groaned.

“It’s hard to compete with that,” she chuckled and he glared at her. “He’s an Asgardian God!”

“Don’t remind me,” he mumbled. 

“Just be her friend, Johnny. That’s what she wants and what she needs, that’s what you need. She’s the only person we know of that has similar powers to yours, don’t let your feelings for her ruin your friendship.”

“You’re right,” he sighed. “It’s just hard not to have feelings for her.”

“She is pretty,” Susan said.

“And witty, sarcastic, funny, smart, creative-”

“Johnny, don’t torture yourself,” she cut him off. 

“I have to go,” he mumbled before leaving the living area. 

 

“Mr. Stark, Kenna has left the building via her balcony,” JARVIS’s voice rang through the kitchen. 

“Great,” Tony mumbled. 

“I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Steve told Tony. 

“I just didn’t expect them to become so close,” Tony sighed.

“Wasn’t that the whole point of introducing them?” Steve pointed out. “You wanted her to meet someone with similar powers so she didn’t feel so alone. You wanted her to find someone who could relate to her. You wanted this.”

“But I didn’t want him to have feelings for her,” Tony growled. 

“Tony, your daughter is perfect,” Steve laughed. “Are you really surprised that he does? You’ve been really lucky these past nineteen years that she’s been more introverted than extroverted because if she wasn’t, there would have been hundreds of guys flocking to this tower. Her smile alone could break someone’s heart.”

“And you’ve never had feelings for her, Steve?” Tony arched his brow and Steve couldn’t help but to laugh. 

“No, Tony,” Steve shook his head. “Since I woke up, I have only seen her as a little sister. She’s my best friend, Tony, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tony sighed. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“She’s still heartbroken over Thor,” Steve shrugged. “She has had feelings for him since the moment she first saw him. Those feelings aren’t going to go away anytime soon, and we shouldn’t expect them to.”

“I just want to punch his perfect face,” Tony growled. 

“Mr. Stark, Thor has arrived from Asgard on the penthouse platform,” JARVIS’s voice. Steve looked at Tony, shocked. 

“Sometimes all it takes is a wish,” Tony smiled wickedly and practically ran to the stairs.

“Tony,” Steve warned him, following him up the steps.

“Thor,” Tony’s voice was loud and angry. 

“Tony, I must speak to you,” Thor’s voice sounded urgent. 

“You look like shit,” Tony told him, and he really did. The Asgardian looked like he hadn’t slept since he left over three weeks ago.

“I have not slept,” Thor told him. “I have been searching for answers to Kenna’s concerns.” Tony looked to Steve, not sure of what that meant. 

“What do you mean?” Tony asked him.

“May we talk?” Thor asked and Tony nodded. 

“Let’s go to my workshop,” Tony told him. Thor and Steve followed Tony to his workshop. Steve was worried Tony only wanted to be closer to his suits. 

“Alright, Romeo, what’s going on?” Tony asked as he sat on one of his stools. Thor sighed, pacing the lab.

“After I expressed my feelings to her, Kenna shared her concerns about us being together. She was scared that while I remained young, she would not. I knew that there had to be a solution, somewhere in the nine realms. I knew there had to be a way for us to be together,” Thor continued to pace as he talked. “And there is, there is a way for Kenna to become an Asgardian,” he stopped and looked at Tony and Steve -- both of their jaws practically on the floor.

“What?” was all Tony could say. He was speechless for once.

“She would not only be an Asgardian, but a goddess.”

“What?” Tony repeated.

“Centuries ago, there was a goddess that would escape to the mountains every full moon. There was a pool within one of the open topped mountains and she would bathe in the moonlight. One night, during her swim, it started too storm hard, too fast. The mountain flooded, trapping her inside -- causing her to drown. Her body dissipated within the pool and so did her power. There is a spell that would allow Kenna to absorb her power, to become a goddess herself,” Thor explained. 

“Kenna would be a god?” Steve breathed out and Thor nodded. Tony remained silent, unable to process what Thor was saying.

“The goddess was Beyla, the goddess of Earth… Which I believe is perfect for Kenna,” Thor smiled at the thought.

“Wow,” Steve breathed out.

“Tony, I will not tell Kenna about this without your permission,” Thor told Tony. Steve looked to Tony, waiting to hear his response.

“I… I don’t know,” Tony whispered, shaking his head. “Would she have to live in Asgard?”

“If she were to take me as her husband, she would rule next to me as queen,” Thor said.

“Holy shit,” Tony shook his head. Tony’s head was spinning. 

“I do not expect an immediate answer,” Thor told him. “I know what I am asking.”

“I think,” Tony started, talking slowly. “I think that you should both date and see if it’s something that’s actually going to be long term before you tell her about this.”

“I agree,” Steve nodded. “I think that would be smart.”

“I believe that would be best as well,” Thor smiled, relieved that Tony didn’t immediately deny his proposal. 

“But when that time comes, I expect you to come talk to me first,” Tony said and Thor nodded. 

“Of course,” he told him. “May I ask where Kenna is?”

“She’s with a friend at a cookie dough shop,” Tony said.

“A friend?” Thor arched his brow and looked to Steve. “You are not with her?”

“I’m not the biggest fan of her friend,” Steve told him. “But, he possesses similar powers to hers.”

“And they are just friends?” Thor asked when he realized the friend was male.

“Oh yes,” Steve told her. “I’m sure she would be very happy if you went to the shop they were at.”

“I would like that,” Thor smiled. Steve took Thor to the penthouse, pointing in the direction of where the shop was. Tony remained in his workshop, thinking over what Thor just told them. His head continued to spin, his mind felt like it could explode.

A goddess. Kenna could live to be centuries old. She would be a goddess, an Asgardian, a queen. 

“Are you doing okay?” Steve came back to the workshop and Tony shook his head. Hell no he wasn’t.

“Not at all,” Tony shook his head.

“Still want to punch him?” Steve asked and Tony couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“I don’t even know.”

“It is a lot.”

“Do you think she would do it?” Tony asked him.

“To be with him, yes,” Steve told him honestly. “Can you imagine her as a queen?”

“I always knew that she was destined for something amazing, but I could have never imagined she’d be queen of an entire realm.”

“Asgard would be lucky to have her,” Steve smiled, picturing Kenna on a throne.

“But what about us?” Tony whispered, looking to Steve for an answer… but he didn’t have one.

 

“Are you okay?” Johnny asked Kenna as they sat down with their cookie dough. 

“Yeah,” Kenna lied before taking a bite of her cookie dough. “Interesting,” she said, making him laugh.

“The risk of salmonella must be what makes it better,” Johnny laughed as he took a bite of his. 

“I don’t actually know anyone that has ever got sick from eating cookie dough,” Kenna shook her head. “And Steve and I have ate a lot.”

“Steve is also a genetically modified super soldier,” Johnny laughed.

“Well, I’m not,” she chuckled. “I’ve ate more cookie dough than actual cookies.”

“Favorite cookie?” Johnny asked her, taking a bite of his own.

“I don’t discriminate,” she laughed. “Chocolate chip, peanut butter -- sugar cookies with buttercream frosting, that’s my favorite. Lots of frosting.” 

“Are cookies your favorite dessert?”

“Oh no, I love all desserts,” she shook her head. “Donuts, cupcakes, full cakes, pie, pastries, mousse… I have the biggest sweet tooth.” 

“There is nothing wrong with that,” he smiled at her, but then looked past her to see outside the window. 

“Something is going on,” he mumbled and she turned around, slowly getting up. She saw people running and ran outside to see what was going on. She looked in the direction of the chaos and her heart stopped.


	9. Chapter 9

“Thor,” she breathed out when she saw him. The god was dressed in his full Asgardian attire, Mjolnir in hand. A smile spread across Kenna’s lips -- her god was home. 

She was a dozen yards away from him, but she could still see his smile stretching from ear to ear.

She ran towards him and when she didn’t reach him fast enough, she flew towards him. He caught her in his arms, one arm around her waist and his other hand cupped her cheek.

“Kenna,” he said under his breath, just before kissing her. The kiss was hard, passionate and desperate as they held each other. They had waited too long for this moment, had held back their feelings for too long. They weren’t going to wait anymore. 

Johnny watched from afar, heat rolling off of his skin, his fists clenched. Of course, the Asgardian came back.

“Kenna,” Thor whispered again as he rested his forehead against hers. His thumb brushed across her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

“You left before I could find you and tell you that I really don’t care if you have all the answers,” she told him. “I want to be with you, answers or no answers. I want to be yours.”

“We will find an answer, I swear,” he told her, knowing he already had them. “We will find a way to be together for centuries.”

“As long as we’re together now, I don’t care,” she shook her head and he kissed her again.

Johnny’s jaw tensed, his chances of being with Kenna went from slim to none. There was no way he could compete with the god, not when he was actually here on earth. 

“You look tired,” Kenna said softly as Thor set her down.

“I’ve been searching for answers” he told her. 

“Why don’t we go back to the Tower,” she suggested, wanting to take care of the Asgardian. Kenna turned around to see Johnny, standing there and looking angry. She could see the heat rolling off of him and wondered if others could see it, too, or if it was only because of her powers that she could see his. No one else seemed to notice, especially not Thor.

“Thor, this is my friend Johnny,” she introduced the two slowly, almost timidly.

“Tis nice to meet you,” Thor smiled at him and extended his hand, but Kenna pushed it down, staring at Johnny hard. She knew how hot Johnny’s hand was right now.

“I hear you possess a similar power to Kenna,” Thor continued to smile, not phased by Kenna’s actions.

“Yes, I can control fire just like her,” Johnny smirked. “Us sharing the same ability has really helped us to become so close. It’s really nice to find someone that understands you.” Kenna’s eyes narrowed at him.

“Tis always nice to meet someone with similar powers to you. I was excited as well to find out that Kenna and I both share the ability to control lightning,” Thor said as he wrapped his arm around Kenna and Johnny’s face fell -- he had forgotten that they both control lightning. 

“I’m sorry, Johnny, but we’re going to have to go. Maybe we ca-” Kenna started and Johnny scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Whatever, Kenna,” he said just before engulfing himself in flames.

“Johnny, wait,” she walked towards him, his flames disappearing. “Can you not be happy for me?”

“Really? Kenna you have been heartbroken over this oaf for the last three weeks and he just appears and all of that just goes away? You just forgive him and run into his arms?” 

“Uh, yeah,” she furrowed her brows together. “Because I truly thought that I fucked up my chances with him after being in love with him for years. I thought I ruined not only my chances of being with him, but I was also worried I lost my friend. So yeah, I’m going to forget the last three weeks because I have another chance and I’m not letting it slip through my fingers. The only reason he was even gone is because he was looking for a way for us to be together.”

“Well, guess what? If it were me, you wouldn’t have to search for a way. We could just be happy together and enjoy our lives together.”

“How many times have I told you that I just wanted to be friends?” she exclaimed, raising her hands in the air. Heat was rolling off of the both of them, Kenna’s skin began to turn molten.

“Dammit, Johnny. I made sure before we ever started hanging out that you knew that I only wanted to be friends with you, that I still feelings for him and that I would for quite some time.”

“You would have had to get over him eventually, he was a world away anyways.”

“And you just thought he’d never come back and I’d never see him again?” she asked, blown away by Johnny’s stupidity. “He’s an Avenger. I’m an Avenger. We are teammates, we work together. And besides that, we were friends before anything. Despite how much part of me thought I’d ruin our friendship, I knew in my heart that he wouldn’t have abandoned me completely.”

“I would not have,” Thor piped in. 

“No one asked you,” Johnny hissed at Thor.

“Hey,” Kenna said loudly, followed by a flash of lightning. She stepped closer to Johnny, her body igniting more and more with each step. 

“I think it’s time for you to leave before I do something reckless,” she growled at him, her eyes glowing red. She could see the regret in his eyes as his body became engulfed in flames just before flying off. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Kenna said, her voice still low and angry. “People are staring.”  
She flew into the sky and Thor’s hammer began to spin just before he took off, following her closely. He felt sad for her, sad that he ruined her friendship with Johnny. That is not what he wanted.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized when they landed on the platform of the Tower. His apology caught her off guard and her flames disappeared.

“I’m sorry for ruining your friendship with Johnny,” he whispered and she smiled softly at him.

“You didn’t,” she shook her head quickly. “He did. Apparently he’s unable to be just my friend.” 

“I did not help the matter.”

“Maybe not, but he finally got it through his head that I want to just be friends,” she shrugged. “Do you want to watch a movie?

“I would like that,” he nodded and she led him through the tower to her room.

“Where are you two going?” Tony stopped them. 

“My room?” Kenna said like it was the only answer. 

“I think it’d be best if you two stayed in the living room or the theater,” he told her and she scoffed.

“We’ve hung out in my room before?”

“You weren’t dating before,” he gave her a warning look.

“Do you realize I am nineteen?” she glared at him. Tony caught her at the wrong time, she was still hot from what happened with Johnny. Her anger was clouding her thoughts. 

“And you live in my house,” his voice was stern.

“Well, what if I didn’t?” she challenged him, heat radiating off of her. “Maybe it’s time I moved out, found my own place.”

“Kenna, I’m getting really tired of this attitude you’ve had the past few weeks.”

“Well I’m getting really tired of you treating me like a child,” she seethed, her hands igniting in flames, the lights flickered around them. Thor’s eyes widened at the interaction. He did not want her to fight with someone else because of him.

“Perhaps you should stop acting like a child,” Tony raised his voice and she snapped, her entire body became engulfed in flames. 

“Kenna, it is okay, really,” Thor told her and her attention snapped to him. The electricity stopped flickering, but the flames still danced around her. “Why don’t we just go to the theater?”

“We shouldn’t have to,” she glared back at her father. 

“Keep throwing a fit, you’re just embarrassing yourself, but it’s my house so it’s my rules,” Tony told her before storming off. 

“I can not hug you while you are on fire,” Thor said softly and his words made her flames disappeared.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking down at the ground.

“Tis okay,” he assured her. “Have you two not been getting along?” 

“No,” she breathed out. “Even though he was the one that wanted us to meet, he hates Johnny because Johnny has a reputation of being a player.”

“What does he play?” Thor’s brows furrowed together. 

“Women,” she sighed and Thor looked surprised.

“Oh,” was all he could say. “Why don’t we change into our night clothes and watch that movie now?”

“That sounds like a good plan,” she said before slipping into her bedroom. She changed quickly before grabbing her cell phone.

**Can we grab coffee tomorrow?** She texted Bruce.

**10:00 at Beans?** He replied almost immediately.

**See you then,** she shot back before exiting her bedroom and walking to the living room where she waited for Thor.

“Ready?” he smiled at her and she nodded before leading him down to the theater. 

“Can we watch the movie about the alien trucks?” he asked her as they settled into the couch together.

“Of course,” she laughed as she set up the movie. Once it started, she curled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. Now that she was his and he knew how she could remain by his side for eternity, he didn’t plan on letting her go.

The next morning, Kenna was grateful she thought to set an alarm. They both fell asleep about halfway through the first movie and she would have hated to have left Bruce alone at the coffee shop. Kenna dentangled herself from Thor before sneaking out of the theater, letting him continue to rest. She was also grateful that she didn’t run into her dad on the way to her room. 

Quickly, she got ready and left from her balcony, flying to the coffee shop from there. Tony sighed when he got the alert that Kenna had left again. She was avoiding him as much as possible.

Kenna made it to Bean’s before Bruce and ordered their usual before settling into a table near a window. The two of them had grown closer the past couple of weeks, bonding over their inability to control their anger. They tried to see each other everyday, checking in with each other to see how they were doing that day. If they weren’t able to see each other, they made a point to call each other. Their meetings were something that they both started to rely on, especially for Bruce. 

“Hey Kenny,” he smiled when he saw her, sitting across from her. “How are you doing today?”

“Good, and then not so good,” she tried to laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck. “You wouldn’t believe how much has happened since I last saw you.”

“That was just yesterday morning,” he chuckled and she sighed.

“Thor’s back,” she told him.

“What? Really? Is that a good thing?”

“It is,” she smiled. “He only left so that he could find a way for us to be together… but he showed up when Johnny and I were hanging out.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say Johnny didn’t take it well.”

“He did not,” she shook her head. “He got mad at me for acting like the last three weeks didn’t happen, that I quite literally ran into Thor’s arms when I saw him. Despite the number of times I told him that I only wanted to be friends, he still wanted more. We ended up yelling at each other in the streets until I lost control and caught on fire, eyes glowing and all.”

“Wow,” Bruce said under his breath.

“And then,” Kenna continued, playing with the straw of her drink. “Thor and I get back to the tower and dad tried to tell me that we were no longer to go in my room. And honestly, now that I’ve calmed down, I can understand that. However --”

“He caught you at the wrong time,” Bruce finished for us.

“Oh yeah,” she sighed. “I was still fuming from what happened with Johnny and threw more of a fit than I should have. But I lost control again, catching on fire.”

“That’s the worst feeling,” Bruce looked at her sympathetically. 

“I feel like it’s getting worse lately,” she sighed, running her hands through her hair.

“The last couple of weeks have been a little harder for you than usual,” he told her, his hand resting over hers. She wished she had told him about Tony not being her father and what those scientists did to her. She knows he’d understand, but she knew that the less people that knew, the better.

“I think it’s finally time for me to get my own place,” Kenna told Bruce, catching him off guard. 

“Wow,” he breathed out. 

“I would really appreciate it if you would help me because I don’t even know where to begin,” she chuckled.

“Of course I’ll help you, Ken,” he smiled. “But, are you sure about this? Is this the right reason to move out?”

“I’ve actually been thinking about it for awhile,” she told him. “I’m nineteen. In addition to my trust fund, I have a pretty steady income from selling my art. I’ve always wanted my own space that I can make my own, a space where I can host my friends and family.” 

“Alright,” he smiled at her. Bruce couldn’t help but to feel special that she was turning to him for help. “Are you looking to rent or buy?”

“Preferably buy, that way I’m not putting money into a property that’s not even mine.” 

“Ken, can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” she said, her brows furrowed together. 

“Now that you and Thor are together, will you be moving to Asgard?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, wondering what this had to do with anything.

“Do you think that maybe you and Thor should talk about that before you buy what may possibly be a million dollar home?” 

“But even if I did go to Asgard, shouldn’t I still have somewhere to live here? Because Thor comes back here a lot, I would like to think I would, too.”

“I still think that maybe you two should talk about it,” Bruce told her.

“We have been together for one day.”

“I know, but you have both had feelings for each other for years so it’s different than a brand new relationship. Plus, he’s searching for a way for you to age at the same rate as him, so you can live for an eternity… That’s a pretty big commitment. To me, it seems like there’s no doubt that you’re both in this long term.” 

“Yeah,” she breathed out. She never stopped to think about what any of this meant. “Do you think he’ll find a way?”

“The scientist in me wants to say no,” Bruce told her honestly. “But I’ve seen some crazy things.” 

“You and me both,” she laughed. 

 

“How was coffee with Bruce?” Thor greeted Kenna when she got back to the tower. 

“It was good. I brought you breakfast,” she handed him the coffee and muffins she brought back for him. “Did you get enough sleep?”

“I feel much better,” he told her, taking a large bite of his muffin. 

“Can we talk?” she asked him and he nodded. “Let’s go out on the balcony.” She didn’t want her dad to listen in to their conversation, he didn’t need to know she wanted to get her own place.

“Is something wrong?” he asked her, worried that she had changed her mind about him.

“No,” she shook her head. “This morning, I met with Bruce to ask him if he could help me find my own place.”

“Kenna, I do not want you to move out of the Tower just for me,” he told her.

“I’m not,” she assured him. “I have been thinking about getting a place of my own for awhile now and right now just makes sense. However… there’s still so much uncertainty. We don’t even know if there is a way for us to spend our lives together. What happens if you don’t find a way for me to age with you, would I still move to Asgard with you? And if you do find a way, will I immediately come to Asgard with you? Will I leave this life behind?

He smiled softly at her, he wanted nothing more than to take her home to Asgard, for her to rule as queen by his side. He wished more than anything that he could tell her now that he found an answer, that he could make all of her concerns go away. But she was not ready, not yet.

“I know that us being together is new, that you are still scared, that there are still questions unanswered. But Kenna, love, I plan on spending my lifetime with you. There is no doubt in my mind that you are my soulmate, that you are the one person among all nine realms that I am meant to spend my life with. And one day, yes, I hope you will agree to come home to Asgard with me. When, I do not know. It could be in two years time or it could be in a fortnight. No matter what happens, one day, you will come home with me… but that does not mean you will not always have a home here. You were born here, raised here. This earth is all that you know, all that you thought you would ever know. No matter what our future holds, it should not stop you from building your home here. I want you to be happy, Kenna.” 

Kenna was left speechless by his sweet words. She was left speechless by how committed he was to her. 

“Thor,” she breathed out, a soft smile on her lips. “What if instead of me building my home… we built our home here? Together.” Thor’s eyes lit up, he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.

“That would make me most happy,” he grinned. 

“Then we will start looking for homes together,” she smiled. “Bruce and I are meeting tomorrow with a realtor to discuss what we’re looking for, if you’d like to come?”

“Of course.”

“Is there anything you would like our home to have?” 

“You,” he told her before kissing her.


End file.
